Understanding the Role of an Illinois Bankruptcy Trustee
The Role of an Illinois Bankruptcy Trustee
The Illinois bankruptcy trustee is automatically assigned to your case upon filing. The trustee serves as a key figure in safeguarding the bankruptcy estate, essentially, everything you own at the time of filing. One of their primary duties is to identify which assets are protected under exemption laws and which are not.
Exempt assets are shielded from liquidation, meaning you keep them, while non-exempt assets may be sold to repay creditors.
Beyond asset oversight, the trustee manages the entire bankruptcy process. This includes presiding over the 341 Meeting of Creditors, where your financial disclosures are examined and any issues are raised. Should there be signs of fraud, the trustee holds the power to pursue legal remedies to reclaim assets and preserve the estate’s integrity.
Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13 Trustees
In Chapter 7, the Illinois bankruptcy trustee’s primary role is to identify and liquidate non-exempt assets to repay creditors. By contrast, Chapter 13 trustees focus on administering the repayment plan, ensuring it aligns with court approval and legal requirements. Note that while Chapter 13 is sometimes used as a way to keep non-exempt assets, you do have the choice to surrender the assets for liquidation as well.
It’s also essential to distinguish between the Illinois bankruptcy trustee, a private individual appointed to manage your case, and the Office of the U.S. Trustee, part of the Department of Justice. The latter oversees bankruptcy trustees nationwide, ensuring they perform their duties ethically and in accordance with the Bankruptcy Code, which includes prosecuting bankruptcy fraud.
The Chapter 7 and 13 Bankruptcy Trustees for the Central, Northern, and Southern Districts are listed below.
Trustees in the Central District of Illinois
Andrew S. Erickson
P.O. Box 438
Decatur, IL 62525 -0438
E-mail: aetrustee@aericksonlaw.com
Phone: (217) 425-1515
Roger L. Prillaman
220 W. Main Street
Urbana, IL 61801
E-mail: trusteeprillaman@aol.com
Phone: (217) 384-1300
Jeffrey D. Richardson
132 S. Water Street, Suite 444
Decatur, IL 62523
E-mail: jdrdec@aol.com
Phone: (217) 425-4082
Trustees in the Northern District of Illinois
Richard S. Alsterda
70 West Madison, Suite 3500
Chicago, IL 60602 -4283
E-mail: rsalsterda@nixonpeabody.com
Phone: (312) 977-9235
Fax: (312) 977-4405
Ira Bodenstein
123 N. Wacker Drive,
Suite 1800
Chicago, IL 60606
E-mail: ibodenstein@cozen.com
Phone: (312) 474-1647
Fax: (312) 980-3888
Joseph E. Cohen
105 West Madison Street, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60602
E-mail: jcohen@cohenandkrol.com
Phone: (312)368-0300
Michael K. Desmond
311 S. Wacker Dr., Suite 3000
Chicago, IL 60606
E-mail: mdesmond@sgrlaw.com
Phone: (312) 264-1007
Fax: (312) 264-2627
Deborah Ebner
P.O. Box 929
Glenview, IL 60025
E-mail: dkebner@deborahebnerlaw.com
Phone: (312) 470-1288
Richard M. Fogel
2540 Wilmette Ave.
Suite 1800
Wilmette, IL 60091
E-mail: fogeltrustee@gmail.com
Phone: (847) 769-8135
Ilene F. Goldstein
1954 First St., PMB 112
Highland Park, IL 60035
E-mail: ifgolds@aol.com
Phone: (847) 562-9595
Karen R. Goodman
135 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 3705
Chicago, IL 60603
E-mail: kgoodman@cranesimon.com
Phone: (312) 641-6777
Miriam Stein Granek
4711 Golf Road
Suite 200
Skokie, IL 60076
E-mail: mgranek@gutnicki.com
Phone: (847) 745-6592
Brian A. Hart
5702 Elaine Drive
Suite 204
Rockford, IL 61108 -2458
E-mail: brian@rockfordbankruptcy.com
Phone: (815) 708-0234
Reed Heiligman
53 West Jackson Blvd.
Suite 1301
Chicago, IL 60604
E-mail: reed@hzhlaw.com
Phone: (312) 888-9541
David R. Herzog
53 West. Jackson Blvd.
Suite 1442
Chicago, IL 60604
E-mail: drh@dherzoglaw.com
Phone: (312) 977-1600
Fax: (312) 977-9936
Ariane Holtschlag
105 W Madison, Suite 1500
Chicago, IL 60602
E-mail: aholtschlag@wfactorlaw.com
Phone: (312) 878-4830
Cindy M. Johnson
140 S. Dearborn Street, Suite #1510
Chicago, IL 60603
E-mail: cjohnson@JNLegal.net
Phone: (312) 345-1306
Fax: (312) 345-1306
Frank J. Kokoszka
19 South LaSalle Street
Suite 1201
Chicago, IL 60603 -1419
E-mail: fkokoszka@k-jlaw.com
Phone: (312) 443-9600
Fax: (312) 254-3156
Gina B. Krol
105 W. Madison Street, Suite 1100
Chicago, IL 60602
E-mail: gkrol@cohenandkrol.com
Phone: (312)368-0300
Richard J. Mason
70 W. Hubbard Street
Suite 304
Chicago, IL 60654 -4603
E-mail: Richardjmason130@gmail.com
Phone: (847) 962 1381
Fax: (312) 849-3690
Peter N. Metrou
123 W. Washington St. #216
Oswego, IL 60543
E-mail: trustee7@metandnem.com
Phone: (630) 551-7171
Alex D. Moglia
1325 Remington Road, Suite H
Schaumburg, IL 60173
E-mail: amoglia@mogliaadvisors.com
Phone: (847) 884-8282
Fax: (847) 884-1188
Norman B. Newman
30 N. LaSalle St., Suite 3000
Chicago, IL 60602
E-mail: nnewman@raineslaw.com
Phone: (312) 704-2170
Joseph D. Olsen
5702 Elaine Drive
Suite 204
Rockford, IL 61108
E-mail: Jolsenlaw@comcast.net
Phone: (815) 708-0234
Fax: (815) 965-4573
Gus A. Paloian
233 S. Wacker Drive
Suite 8000
Chicago, IL 60606 -6448
E-mail: gpaloian@seyfarth.com
Phone: (312) 460-5360
Fax: (312) 460-7000
Steven R. Radtke
2400 North Lakeview Avenue, Unit 2502
Chicago, IL 60614
E-mail: sradtke@chillchillradtke.com
Phone: (312) 346-1935
Fax: (312) 346-2138
Landon Raiford
111 E. Wacker Dr.
Suite 2600
Chicago, IL 60601
E-mail: lraiford@taftlaw.com
Phone: (312) 836-5878
N. Neville Reid
200 West Madison
Suite 3000
Chicago, IL 60606
E-mail: nreid@foxswibel.com
Phone: (312) 224-1245
Thomas E. Springer
300 South County Farm Road
Suite G
Wheaton, IL 60187
E-mail: tspringer@springerbrown.com
Phone: (630) 510-0000
Catherine L. Steege
353 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60654
E-mail: csteege@jenner.com
Phone: (312) 923-2952
Fax: (312) 923-2929
James E. Stevens
6833 Stalter Drive
Rockford, IL 61108
E-mail: JStevens@BSLBV.com
Phone: (815) 962-6611
Fax: (815) 962-0687
Gregg E. Szilagyi
209 S. LaSalle St.,
Suite 950
Chicago, IL 60604
E-mail: gs@tailserv.com
Phone: (312) 663-0801
Fax: (312) 634-5520
Kenneth Thomas
200 W. Madison St.
Suite 3000
Chicago, IL 60606
E-mail: kthomas@foxswibel.com
Phone: (312) 224-1241
Daniel Winter
3330 Old Glenview Road
Suite 16
Wilmette, IL 60091
E-mail: trustee@dwinterlaw.com
Phone: (312) 427-1613
Zane L. Zielinski
6336 North Cicero Avenue, Suite 201
Chicago, IL 60646
E-mail: trustee@zanezielinski.com
Phone: (773) 877-3191
Fax: (815) 846-8576
Trustees in the Southern District of Illinois
Robert E. Eggmann, III
120 S. Central Ave., Suite 1800
St. Louis, MO 62025
E-mail: ree@carmodymacdonald.com
Phone: (618) 222-1900
Dana S. Frazier
818 Locust Street
P.O. Box 159
Murphysboro, IL 62966
E-mail: frazierlaw@frontier.com
Phone: (618) 687-5707
Donald M. Samson
226 West Main Street, Suite 102
Belleville, IL 62220
E-mail: dnldsamson@gmail.com
Phone: (618) 235-2226
Chapter 13 Trustees For the Northern District of Illinois
Thomas H. Hooper
55 E. Monroe, Suite 3850
Chicago, IL 60603
E-mail: Thomas.H.Hooper@chicagoch13.com
Phone: (312) 294-5900
Marilyn O. Marshall
224 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 800
Chicago, IL 60604
E-mail: mmarshall@chi13.com
Phone: (312)431-1300
Lydia S. Meyer
P.O. Box 14127
Rockford, IL 61105 -4127
E-mail: LM@lsm13trustee.com
Phone: (815) 968-5354
Fax: (815) 968-5368
Glenn B. Stearns
801 Warrenville Road
Suite 650
Lisle, IL 60532 -4350
E-mail: stearns_g@lisle13.com
Phone: (630) 981-3888
Chapter 13 Trustees For the Southern District of Illinois
Russell C. Simon
19 Bronze Pointe, Ste. A
Swansea, IL 62226
E-mail: rsimon@simonch13trustee.com
Phone: (618) 277-0086
Information on the courthouses for the Northern, Central, and Southern Districts can be found via this link.
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You can learn more about filing for bankruptcy and the bankruptcy petition via this link. Information on the bankruptcy court system, contact information for trustees, and your state’s exemptions can be found here.
Please note that the information on this site does not constitute legal advice and should be considered for informational purposes only.